The conventional progressive wisdom is that the Trump Administration will be bad for cities and for transit users. But in recent decades, a unified Republican government has been better for public transit than a divided government.

An efficient and equitable transport system must be diverse to serve diverse travel demands. Planners need better tools to quantify and communicate the benefits of walking, cycling and public transit to sometimes skeptical decision makers.

Fracking Moratorium

Gov. Andrew Cuomo finally made a decision—make it permanent in 2015. Fracking foes won an important battle as the Empire State has massive natural gas reserves in the Marcellus shale play. In the end, health issues trumped economics.

San Benito and Santa Barbara County voters will decide on fracking ban measures on Tuesday that go beyond the controversial extraction technology by including acidization and "steam flooding." Mendocino County will also have a fracking ban measure.

The worthy foe is not environmental regulations nor the the government or public demanding fracking moratoriums and bans. It is the falling global price of oil. Two radio reports explore how the global glut of oil affects U.S. shale oil production.

Until recently, California's Monterey Shale was estimated to have the nation's highest amount of recoverable oil. Then the Energy Department revised their estimates, lowering it 96%, which turned out to be bad news for fracking moratorium advocates.

The fracking rebellion has finally spread to The Lone Star State. Citizens of Denton have had enough with environmental woes from fracking close to homes and gathered signatures. Plus: the outcome of litigation against Colorado 's first fracking ban.

Organizers for a statewide measure to allow cities to ban fracking admitted to having insufficient signatures for placement on the November ballot. They will try again for 2016. Organizers hope to qualify two other initiatives to restrict fracking.

In a huge victory for fracking opponents and a major blow to the shale gas drilling industry, the New York Court of Appeals, the state's highest, ruled on June 30 that municipalities can use zoning laws to enact fracking bans or moratoria.

Loveland became the first city in Colorado to reject a voter-imposed moratorium on gas and oil hydraulic fracturing. Voters in five cities have approved moratoriums since 2012 though they are being contested by energy companies and the state.

A high profile bill championed by California's environmental community that would have placed a moratorium on fracking and other well stimulation treatment and would have allowed more local control failed to get off the Senate floor on May 29 and 30.

A California legislator warns that if the Keystone XL pipeline is rejected, expect tar sands to be transported by rail to Calif. refineries and ports. Increasing oil production would reduce oil imports, but a fracking moratorium bill has advanced.

Several earthquakes in March in Ohio's Poland Township have been linked to shale fracking, resulting in suspension of oil and gill drilling at seven wells near the quakes. Previous Ohio earthquakes were linked to disposal of wastewater from fracking.

A unanimous vote by the Carson city council for the 45-day moratorium on all oil drilling, with or without fracking, was done in response to an application for drilling by Occidental Petroleum even though the company agreed not to utilize fracking.

PBS NewsHour reports on a new study that shows a lack of air quality regulations on fracking in the Texas Eagle Ford Shale play. NPR looks at new rules developed by regulators in Colorado, the first in the nation to restrict methane emissions.

Plentiful natural gas produced from neighboring Pa. makes it easier for New York City buildings to comply with a regulation to convert dirty heating oil burners to use cleaner fuels like natural gas while the state has a six-year fracking moratorium

What was the extent of the environmental damage caused by leaking oil wells during September's flood? Turns out, it depends on whom you ask. Word from both government and the industry is that it was minimal, while environmental advocates disagree.

Fracking opponents scored two major court victories In New York State on May 2 when an Appellate Division court panel ruled unanimously that two towns can use zoning to ban fracking. Paradoxically, it could also be good for energy companies.

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